UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — David W. Titley, professor of practice in meteorology, professor of international affairs, founding director of the Center for Solutions to Weather and Climate Risk, Penn State and retired rear admiral, U.S. Navy, was appointed chairman of the advisory committee for the National Academies' new Climate Communications Initiative.

"I am excited and honored to chair this distinguished committee and help advise the academy on how best to leverage and communicate their wealth of climate science information," said Titley.

The Climate Communications Initiative aims to coordinate efforts across the academies — National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Medicine — to successfully address public questions about climate change, develop innovative approaches for communicating and disseminating climate information and provide easy access to evidence-based findings and explanations of climate change to various audiences.  

The academies appointed a multidisciplinary advisory committee to develop a strategic plan for the initiative and also provide guidance in implementing the plan. Titley will head a committee that brings a diverse set of expertise in climate science, climate impacts and economics, potential response options, science communication, social media engagement, and science education and represents a variety of different sectors and stakeholders, including government, industry, communications, and academia. The group is anticipated to hold a public meeting in March of this year.

For more information about the CCI, visit nas.edu/climate/cci.